Flood Blog – Current impact opportunities, stories of impact and classifieds.

Hello,

We need a sitter in Carlsbad area for weekend date nights! We have one boy 19 months who is totally easy and fun to be around. Please let me know if interested in making some extra cash on the weekends. Even willing to trade with other moms! If you have any questions e-mail me @ snow4bunny2003@yahoo.com

I am offering music lessons throughout the entire San Diego area, for the guitar and bass guitar.  I can teach all styles of rock, as well as jazz, worship, blues, and metal.  Pricing is $15 per lesson, and I will come to your home for lessons.  If you are interested, please email me at justinadair0129@gmail.com, or call me at (949) 422-7812.

We are looking for a fun female to fill the Master Bedroom in our beautiful Del Cerro home! The room available is the master bedroom. It has a full-wall mirrored closet, an additional walk-in closet, and full bath attached. It’s by itself on one side of the house and offers a lot of privacy.

We are located about 7 minutes north of SDSU, close to Grossmont Ctr, and the 8 & 125 freeways. Our house is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath (with 3 ladies currently living there), full kitchen, washer/dryer, large backyard, and LOTS of living space!! The neighborhood is very quiet, residential and very safe, two car driveway and always lots of street parking available.

Currently, the girls living there are all 22-26, young professionals/grad students. We are looking for someone who is clean, respectful, and fun! Please no smokers or drugs, and sorry, but no pets allowed. Rent is $700/month, and we split utilities between the four of us. Utilities include cable w/ DVR, wireless internet, SDG&E, and water.

Please contact me asap if you are interested!!

-Jamie
JamieB.wilk@gmail.com

Are you looking for an experience that will last a lifetime?  Do you love to learn about different cultures?  This is your lucky day!

The African Bible College Christian Academy in Lilongwe, Malawi is looking for you to join them in the development of kids from 20+ countries who attend their school.

If teaching kids is not your strength then look at the other opportunities listed below:

Christian Academy positions:

1 – Headmaster          1 – K-4 teacher          1 – Kindergarten

1 – First Grade            1 – Third Grade        2 – Fourth Grade

1 – Sixth Grade            1 – Art teacher          1 – French teacher

1 – Computer teacher for elementary      1 – JH Bible teacher

1 – JH Phys Ed teacher                                    Coaching a team sport

For the COLLEGE…

1 – Greek teacher         1 – Bible teacher     Coaching a team sport

For the on-campus church

1 – Worship leader

For more information contact Chuck Price at 619.249.2229 or WIXIM@cox.net

I used to be the pastor of a small rural church near the Kings River, south of Fresno. During the winter, this area was socked-in with Tule fog. When driving, you can barely see two center lines down the road!

The church was located 3 miles outside of town, surrounded by corn, cotton, cows, and alfalfa. In front of the church was a lonely street light, the only one for a few miles along Mt. Whitney Blvd.

It was amazing to see how many cars would breakdown in front of the church, underneath that streetlight. Whether they suddenly developed mechanical troubles in front of the church, or were just holding-on to make it to the streetlight, I don’t know. But the drivers were seeking the light in order to see what was wrong with their car. Under the light, they hoped to find a solution to repairing their problems.

David wrote in Psalm 27:

“The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid? (v.1-2)

When fear comes upon us, it is vitally important that we look for the Light and bring our fears and troubles to God. In doing this, we can find grace, strength and courage to face what lies before us.

Sometimes God’s light reveals that something really is broken and we can’t fix it quickly. As pastor of that small country church, people would occasionally come to my door, asking if they could use the phone to call for help (this was before cell phones). In working on their car under the street light, they discovered they needed a part, a tow, a tool, or something else beyond their resources to fix their problem.

Like the drivers of broken-down cars in front of the church, don’t be afraid to call for help, whether you cry-out to God, a close friend, or a pastor. We are all here to love and care for others, to help others see God’s light and to dwell in His presence.

I invite you to read all of Psalm 27 for today’s devotion. As you do, think about these questions:
• What fear do you carry in your life today?
• Where would you like God’s light to shine in your life?
• How can you be a light to others?

Jeff Glass
jeffglass@diveintoflood.com

Fear is a huge motivator that affects our behavior and emotions. In our community group curriculum we read, “Fear is also at the root of our self-protection mechanisms (defensiveness, contempt, criticism, shame, stonewalling, etc.). As eroding as these things are, the worst thing about fear is that it keeps us from love. . .”

In thinking about “Fear” today, I want to take another look at Psalm 3. In the NIV we read, “O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” (v.1-2)

I often get a kick out of how Eugene Peterson paraphrases scripture in The Message, “God! Look! Enemies past counting! Enemies sprouting like mushrooms, mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery: “Hah! No help for him from God!” (v.1-2)

There are different kinds of fear that affect all of us. At times, we, too, may feel surrounded by insurmountable fears! Some might include going to the dentist, being rejected by a close friend, not doing well on a test, not living up to expectations of your boss, etc. Some fear we anticipate, like the test or dentist appointment. Other fears can come upon us when we least anticipate it.

Last year, after twenty-nine years of employment, I was laid-off. I can’t say it was totally unexpected, but I was still surprised. For months afterwards, I experienced a new kind of fear. It’s one that I’ve not experienced before: fear of what might happen in the future, specifically, financial failure.

This is not a fear that I think about during my waking hours. God is providing in marvelous ways! Instead, this is a fear that can haunt me at night. It wakes me up with crazy thoughts!!

Pastor Matt said the first thing we need to do when we are afraid is to face our fear. I find that when I’m awakened in the middle of the night, the best thing I can do is get-up to journal, read the Bible, and cry-out to God, as David did. I find spending time in these activities to be so much better than wrestling in bed, trying to sleep, with crazy thoughts spinning in my mind.

Fear of what we’re facing can sometimes cause us to doubt that God is really present in our situation. At the Mt. Helix Community Group this week, we had an ice-breaker activity of writing acronyms for the word, DOUBT. I want to share two from our group. Here’s the first one:
D – Disbelief
O – Often
U – Unwittingly
B – Brews
T—Torment

I like this one because when I don’t face my fear, I do feel tormented! In addition to the activities named above that help, I’m a part of a great small group of guys with whom I can share anything. Having this kind of support is invaluable in so many ways!

The second acronym is this:
D – Devoting
O – Ourselves
U – Until
B – Belief
T – Transpires

Sometimes, in spite of what we are feeling, we need to move forward in our faith walk. This may even mean leaning on others to help us trust God in facing our fears. Moving forward can help us find a better place to be with God, to see and experience God’s blessings.

In verses 4 – 5, David writes, “To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.”

In his crying aloud to God, a wonderful transformation takes place! Peace comes to David so that he can sleep. The next day he awakes and feels the Lord’s strength and power to sustain him.

How do you experience God in the midst of your worst fear? How do you find strength and help from God? What’s your story?

Jeff Glass
jeffglass@diveintoflood.com

So what happens when we’re in the middle of the storms of life and fear is on every side of us?  What about when your job prospects are looking terrible and the possibility of promotion is low?  Or when infertility rears emotionally draining ugly head?  Or your family life is non-existent and friends are hard to come by?  Or depression becomes a reality?  All part of a litany of life struggles; all part of a long list of fear-inducing circumstances that challenge us to either believe that Jesus is out there watching over us, or not.

Take a look at the disciples when they faced fear.  In Matthew 14, they were at their wits’ end with a terrible storm and a boat that was close to capsizing-in the middle of the night of course (don’t  things always seem scarier at 3 am than at 3 pm?)  Jesus came to them, walking on water, and they were terrified:

“It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14:26-27)

When we are scared of the hostile circumstances life has us in, do we see Jesus as a ghost walking on water, or do we listen to His advice and take courage.  Are we really afraid of the bad things, (a.k.a. Monsters), that are lurking out there behind the closet or under our bed, or is it something else that instills fear in us?  Maybe we’re scared of what will happen if we see Christ who he truly is and embrace what might happen if we “take courage” and follow Him.  Many times in my own life, I’ve felt it was harder to trust God than to run from Him.  When Jesus appeared to the disciples, did the storm calm down immediately?  Nope-it sure didn’t.  It’s not until Jesus climbs into the boat with Peter that the winds subsided.  If the the storms in your life haven’t calmed down, maybe Christ you haven’t allowed Christ to come aboard.

How scared are you of the storms in your life?  Is God out there calling you to have courage in Him?  Where are you-in the boat? Or are you stepping out of relative safety into the tempest?  What does Jesus want us to do with our fear?  I think His words in verse 27 answer that question:  Take courage.  Are you?

Stan Fisher

stan.fisher74@gmail.com

Children of the Nations (COTN) is continuing to send teams of medical professionals to work in response to the Haiti earthquake.  Our teams are currently based in the Dominican Republic. serving the children and families we were able to transport from Haiti.  For a more detailed look at our plan, please visit http://www.cotni.org/pages/360-our-plan.

We are still in great need of the following professionals, as we compose Haiti Emergency Teams:

Medical Professionals
o   Doctors (Family Pract., Internal Med., ER, Pediatricians, PA or Nurse Practioners)
o   Registered Nurses
o   Physical Therapists
o   Non-medical
o   Team Leader with strong administrative skills

Interested? Please send the following information to venture@cotni.org, and a COTN Venture Representative will contact you as we assemble each team.

o    Name
o    Email
o    Phone
o    Specialty
o    Available trip dates
o   Affiliation (i.e. ABC Hospital)

Fear-Not just for kids anymore . . .

What do we often think about when we talk about fear?  As children it’s usually monsters or scary things.  But as we grow older our fear becomes more about life; we fear failure, we fear loss, we fear missing out on the good things that life supposedly has in store for us, and many others.  In retrospect, much of our adult fear is just a manifestation of our childhood fear. Unless you are watching a Pixar movie, monsters have nothing good for us in life.  Same with our adult fears-they only serve to take the joy out of our lives.  If we let our fear run our life then joy will never enter the picture.

So how does God fit into this?  David makes it clear in Psalm 3 that he is scared of the army of his son Absalom who is attempting a coup on David’s throne.  David not only fears for his kingdom but his own life.  David fears the failure of his reign; being ousted by a coup will not only take his life, but it will most likely lead to the destruction of the Israelites, which would be the ultimate failure in David’s eyes. Yet, in this very dark time he turns to the only one who can help him.  David seeks God with all his heart during this time.  David recognizes God’s presence, he understand the sustainment and shield that only God can provide—that is why he goes to Him in prayer.

Where do you go when fear knocks at your door?  Do you pull the covers over your head and hope it goes away?  Or do you crawl out of bed and run to your Father’s room?  I think it is clear what David did-he turned to the Father Almighty for solace and safety.  What is keeping you from following David’s example?

Stan Fisher

Stan.fisher74@gmail.com

A large master bedroom is available to share (with one other girl) in Coronado beginning March 1st. It is a 3 bedroom condo on the island with three fun Christian women ages 25-32: an Art Teacher, teaching credential student at SDSU, and world traveling Photographer/Admin. aide, all very easy to live with! We are looking for someone who is easy going, neat, and respectful. Rent is $500 plus utilities which are about $30 a month and there is a $500 deposit. It is a month to month lease with condition to find a new roommate before leaving. House has large balcony with views of beautiful downtown, large garage for storage, washer/dryer, covered carport to share, large front yard with hammock and plenty of street parking. Walk or bike to grocery store, restaurants, beach, parks, and stores. Take the ferry when venturing downtown!! Cross the 2 mile bridge (toll free) everyday (like a mini-vacation every time!) email annasdsu@gmail.com